In terms of cancelled crimes, HMICFRS said Leicestershire's standards had become worse. Among 49 victims who should have been told a crime had been cancelled, 15 were not informed, which the watchdog said "remains a concern".

Leicestershire Chief Constable Simon Cole said: "Crime recording is a complex issue and this inspection looks at our technical compliance with a national crime recording system - something which is focused on numbers, categories, how crimes are manually logged on systems and then audited."

Diana Fawcett, of Victim Support, said: "By not recording crimes accurately the police are not then in a position to help victims access the help and support they need.

"These reports have the potential to undermine public trust in the criminal justice system and deter people from reporting crimes in the future."

Kate Russell, a spokeswoman for Rape Crisis England & Wales, said the reviews were "seriously concerning".

"Anyone who reports a sexual offence should be treated with respect, empathy and impartiality and have their report properly investigated," she said.